Lenny Megliola column: Celtics trade no big deal

By Lenny Megliola

Friday

Jun 29, 2007 at 12:01 AMJun 29, 2007 at 1:41 PM

The 2,000 season ticket holders at the Seattle SuperSonics draft party last night booed new general manager Sam Presti's first big decision: Trading perennial All-Star gunner Ray Allen to the Celtics for Wally Szczerbiak, Delonte West and the fifth pick, Jeff Green.

The 2,000 season ticket holders at the Seattle SuperSonics draft party last night booed new general manager Sam Presti's first big decision: Trading perennial All-Star gunner Ray Allen to the Celtics for Wally Szczerbiak, Delonte West and the fifth pick, Jeff Green.

Wait until they find out Presti is a Boston guy. Okay, Concord. Close enough. Probably grew up a Celtics fan. Rumors that Sonic fans were planning to push Presti off the Old North Bridge could not be confirmed. But things could have gotten ugly, since the Sonics draft party was sponsored by Miller Genuine Draft.

But hey, at least you Sonics fans got Kevin Durant. So cheer up.

Not that the folks were dancing on Causeway Street either, after the deal went down.

First off, can Allen and Paul Pierce coexist? Absolutely. Do they necessarily make the Celtics better? Unanswerable right now. But after the disaster of last season, Boston can only go up in 2007-08. The Atlantic Division doesn't scare anyone. The idea is to get to the playoffs. The Celtics can say this deal gives them a better chance to do that, but any talk about going deep in the playoffs because they've got Ray Allen is foolish. Great if it happens, but not likely to.

Allen is a shooter, Pierce is a scorer. There will be plenty of nights when they both put high 20-point games. With the attention they'll attract defensively, it can only help Al Jefferson's productivity down low. So, we'll see. Coach Doc Rivers called Allen "one of the top 25 players in the league."

The Celtics can try to sell this deal (like they've got a choice?), but buyers - the fans - probably didn't feel like popping champagne when they heard the news. Then again, if Ainge had just stuck with the fifth pick and called it a night, there'd be almost no buzz at all.

Look, Allen has had a noble NBA career, no question. And of course he doesn't come cheap, with $52 million due him over the next three seasons. And don't forget, Pierce has four years left, topping out at $21 million in the final year. At least dumping Szczerbiak's contract - $25 million over the next two years - helps.

So, is this a good deal for Boston? Wouldn't fans rather be discussing how Kevin Garnett will help the Celtics next year? If it were true, that would have been a hot topic this morning around the office coolers and in the coffee shops. Ray Allen's name doesn't carry that kind of clout. But at least Pierce has the veteran sidekick he's been begging for.

Danny Ainge, naturally, was pleased with the night's work. The Celtics finished the long night by plucking USC's Gabe Pruitt and LSU's Glen Davis in the second round. Ainge isn't silly enough to say that the new-look Celtics are championship-driven. But they better make the playoffs. "This team has no excuses," he said.

Keeping Al Jefferson and Rajon Rondo was a priority. "We think they have a chance to be special players," said Ainge.

In April, Allen had bone spur surgery on both feet. Three weeks ago he declared himself fit to play then and there. The feet limited the seven-time All-Star to 55 games in which he averaged a career-best 26.4 points. The man could always light it up. Ainge gave him a clean bill of health. "He'll be ready to go by training camp."

But don't think for a moment the Celtics' opening night roster has been decided. Ainge isn't likely to sit back and say his work is done for now. Oh no. He'll keep working the phones.

"We're always looking to make deals," he said.

Stay tuned.

Lenny Megliola is a MetroWest Daily News columnist. His e-mail is lennymegs@aol.com